Pocket-billiard-table pocket.



v F. 0. HOBBS. POCKET. BILLIARD TABLE POCKET.

APPLICATION -FILED .MAY 13, I915.

Patented Mar. 7, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

THE COLUMBIA PLANDGRAPH 00.. WASHINGTON, n'. c.

F. C. HOBBS.

PQCKE[" B|LL|ARD TABLE POCKET.

' D MAY13 1915 A v I. 1,1744 53. Patented Man 7, 1916. 2 ssssssssss E[ 2.

lull!!! FRANK o. HOBBS, or IVIUSKEGON, MICHIGAN, essrsuoa TOTHE BRUNSWIGK-BALKE- GOLLENDER COMPANY, or CHICAGO, ILLINoIs, A CORPORATION or DELAWARE.

POCKET-BILLIARD-TABLE POCKET.

Table Pockets, of which the following 'isa specification. 7 V

This invention relates to improvements 1I1 pockets for pocket-billiard tables and its object is, broadly, to provide a sanitary pocket ofstrong but simple construction which'will not permit theaccumulationof dirt andv other foreign matter and which willatall times permit access to the interior of the pocket forcleaning or other purposes. Thepockets of pocket-billiard tables have usually been" made of openwork leather or Y fabric material whichpermit-the accumulat tion of dust and dirt'therein and whichare diflicult to clean.- Furthermore, these pockets form convenient receptacles for .dirt and dust which isbrushed from the table in cleaning'th'e same, and players oftentimes shake ashes from their cigars and cigarettes and even throw the stubs of cigars and cigarettes into the pockets, rendering them dirty and unsanitary. It is-a common 00- currence for the chalk tofall into the pockets and'when the'tables are provided with gullies it often happens that the chalk sodeposited in the pockets" will slide down into dirt, chalk and other foreign matter to .fall' therethrough' and not accumulate therein, thereby" providing at all times a clean and sanitary pocket free from theobjections heretofore mentioned.

The inventionis adaptable to tables pro vided withgullies as well as tables not provided with gullies, and a further object of the invention is to provide means for retaining a' ball in a pocket which is connected with a gully so that it may be removed from the pocket by, hand or for other purposes.

My invention has-other objects in view Specification'of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. *7, 191 6.

Application filed May 13, 1915. Serial No. 27,835.

which will more fully appear in connection with the detail description thereof in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a plan view of a corner of a pocket-billiard table showing my invention embodied therein in connection with a gully; Fig. 2 is a sectional View on theline 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 isa transverse sectio na-l view on the line 38 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4c is a sectional view on the line 4 L' of 'Fig. 5;.and Fig. 5 is an elevationdof m improved pocket applied to a table without a gully. Fig. 6 is a detail view.

Referring to the drawings, 6 is a pocket iron which is fastened to the table by bolts 7 in the usual manner and isprovided with the outer and inner'finishingandprotector strips 8, 9 made of leather or other suitable material.

A plurality of bars 10 arranged in substantially parallel relation and spaced apart 'rn srans Ariana orrrcn are engaged at their upper ends with the I strip 11 which is connected with the pocket iron 6 in a suitable manner. This strip ll'is preferably made of metal and fastened in a suitable manner to the leathercovering 6 onthe --pocketiron and between] the strips8 and 9, andthe bars 10 are hung from said strip in a suitable manner. For' example, as-shown, the strip may be provided with a tongue 12 to engage an opening12 at the upper end of the bar and also with lugs 12 to be bent over the outer rims of the'bar to secure thebar rigidly in place. The' pocket bars '10 are made of longitudinally corrugated 0r ,fluted .metal strips 10 having theiredges crimped over to hold the rubber or other suitable cov-' ering 10 on the convex side of the bars, and "these bars have a substantially right angle bend intermediate of their ends to form the pocket. The upper ends of the bars extend-in a substantially vertical direction and are engaged with the strip 11 as aforesaid, and the lower ends of the bars extend in a substantially horizontal direction, with a slight decline, 'into the opening or channel 13 on the table.

In Figs. 1-3 I have shownthe pocket embodied in a table provided with a gully, indicated at 14, and which is more fully set forth and described in companionap plicaltion Ser'ial No. 27,833, filedMay 13, 1915. The -iower inner' ends of-the bars are arranged in the channel 13' in the table and secured to the wall thereof in a suitable manner. For this purpose I may fasten a metal strip 16 to the channel wall and provide it with lugs 16 to be bent over the rims of the bars to securely hold the bars in place. A brace 17 may be located at the bottom of the bend in the bars and secured in place at its ends by the fastening bolts 7.

This brace is bent toengage the bars 10 and assist in holding them in properly spaced relation. 7,

In the construction of Figs. at and 5 the ends of the bars may abut againstor be engaged with a strip 18 fastened to the table and a brace 19 may also be provided and secured in place by the bolts 7 and shaped to form a support and spacing member for the bars at the bottom of the pocket.

My improved pocket thus consists essen tially of a plurality of substantially parallel bars spaced apart and bent intermediate of their ends, the. upper ends being connected with the pocket iron and suspended therebeneath and the lower ends being suitably supported to form the pocket. In the V drawings I have. shown four bars with the convex rubber covered sides thereof on the inside of the pocket to form a cushion of soft engaging surface for the ball. These bars are spaced apart so that chalk and foreign matter may fall. through between t the bars while a ball will be retained in ,the passage of chalk and hence there is no danger of the gully being choked or the passage of the ball therethrough being interfered with by chalk or any other material sliding into the gully from the pocket.

hen my improved pocket is embodied with a gully it may be desirable at times to retain the ball in the pocket temporarily and for this purpose I provide a stop in the channel 16 where the pocket merges into the gully, which can be readily adjusted to operative or inoperative position. In the I embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings the stop 20 is hinged at 21 to an extension 22 on the strip 16, between the two inner bars of the pocket, but I do not confine myself to this particular construction or arrangement of parts. This stop normally lies above the bottom of the channel betweenthe bars, as shown in Fig. 2, but it can be swung into upright posiwardly ofthe pocket.

tion, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, to prevent the passage of the ball from the pocket into the gully, as will be readily' understood. It will be found an easy matter to insert the hand in the pocket to swing the stop to operative or inoperative 1 .pockets to'rough usage, but my improved pocket is sufficiently strong to stand any ordinary amount of such abuse. The pocket is constructed so that it can be shipped ready for attachment to the table and it requires no special knowledge or skill for this purpose. The braces Hand 19 are preferably used in orabout'the location shown on the drawings to reinforce and strengthen the pocket, but for some purposes at least it may be found unnecessary to employ these braces. It will be understood, of course, that the hinged stop 20 is nota necessarypart of the pocket when used with a gully but it can be provided in all pockets, if desired, so that it will be there for use whenever required. This stop does not in any way interfere with the balls when in an inoperative position, as shown in full lines in Fig. 2, being located belowthe surface on the bottom bars 10 on which the ball travels. ,I am aware that changes in the form and proportion of parts and details ofconstructionv-of my invention may be made without departing therefrom and I therefore reserve the right to make all such changes as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of my invention. 1 I claim:

1. A pocket for pocket billiard tables com prising a plurality of rigid bars concavo convex in cross section and adapted to be held in place in spaced relation on a table,

said bars having a yielding facing on their convex sides. V

2. A pocket for pocket billiard tables com prising a plurality of rigid bars adapted to be held in place in spaced relation on a table, said bars being fluted longitudinally and having their side edges directed outwardly and their intermediate portions directed in- 3. A pocket for pocket billiard tables comprising a plurality of bars spaced apart and arranged in substantially parallel relation,

and strips engaged with said bars at or adjacent the ends thereof and adapted to be held in place on a table.

4:. A pocket for pocket billiard tables comprising a metal strip supported on the table, a plurality of bars fastened together in spaced relation, and means for detachably engaging the bars with said strip.

5. A pocket for pocket billiard tables comprising a metal strip supported'on the table, a plurality of bars fastened together in spaced'relation, and a hook on the strip to engage a bar to suspend the bars from said strip.

i 6. A pocket billiard table provided with a gully channel and a pocket, and a movable stop located where said pocket connects with the gully channel and adapted to be arranged in position to prevent balls passing from the pocket into the gully or to permit such passage.

7. A pocket billiard table provided with a gully channel and a pocket, and a hinged movable stop located where said pocket connects with the gully channel and adapted to be swung into upright position to prevent balls passing from the pocket into the gully.

8. A pocket billiard table provided with a gully channel and a pocket connecting therewith, said pocket comprising a plurality of bars spaced apart and arranged substantially parallel, and a hinged stop located in the gully channel and arranged to be swung into position to prevent passage of balls from the pocket to the channel.

FRANK C. HOBBS.

Witness:

M. A. Kmom.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

